VGF is a secreted polypeptide that is found in neurons and endocrine cells. Canu et al., 1997, Genomics, 45:443–46. VGF is found in the hypothalamus, and is regulated in the brain by electrical activity, injury, and the circadian clock. The hypothalamus has been shown to play an important role in the regulation of food intake and energy output, and damage to the hypothalamus has been shown to effect both appetite and body weight. Schwartz et al., 1995, Am. J. Physiol., 269:949–57. VGF also has been found to play a role in metabolism.
The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of human and rat VGF are known, and show a high homology to one another. Canu et al., supra. The VGF gene, which was originally identified as a 2.7 kb cDNA fragment, is transcribed in subpopulations of neurons and endocrine cells in vitro by neurotrophins.
Obesity and anorexia are disruptions of energy homeostasis, resulting from imbalances between energy intake and expenditure. There is a need for effective treatment of these conditions. There is also a need for effective treatment of cachexia, sterility, hypermetabolic conditions, hyperactivity, hypoactivity, hyperinsulin production, and related conditions and disorders.